Whatever happened to Bobby Fischer?
That's a question for the ages. A deep question with dark & often disturbing answers. Last year at a chess camp my son wanted to get the book "Bobby Fischer: The Complete Games of the American World Chess Champion". As we were flipping through the book together we discovered that he once played Ron Finegold and Paul Poschel in Bay City, Michigan. Without digging too much we discovered that the Western Open was held there on the July fourth weekend in 1963. I decided that it would be nice to do a story about that tournament. After all, the fortieth anniversary would be July 4th, 2003, a nice round figure for a story, I thought. In this, my latest chess revival period it would be interesting to find out what it meant to Michigan chess and how this "brush with greatness" affected the Michigan chess community. One question continually hounded me in my research. Why did Bobby Fischer drop out of the international circuit at that time in his life to play in this relatively small tournament? In looking for an answer to that question I found a few hints, but no definite answers.
What I did find were stories surrounding Fischer that seemed preposterous, others that must be conjecture and others that seemed to fit perfectly with what one might expect from a genius with a gift who had learned to distrust the world. Lyrics from Paul Simon's "Mrs. Robinson" -- where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, a Nation turns it's lonely eyes to you -- fit how the American chess public felt about Bobby Fischer as much as they ever fit anyone. Where had Bobby Fischer gone? Why did he quit playing chess? What was he doing now? Just great! New questions to haunt me. I just wanted to do a nice little article about the '63 tournament and what it meant to Michigan chessplayers, but no, this ghost wouldn't leave me alone! Well, I found an answer to the question of what Fischer is doing these days. I'm not sure I really wanted to know. I'm not a big fan of all things French these days, but there is a saying popularly attributed to them "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it." That may very well apply to Iraq, as well as Bobby Fischer. But, on we go into the void with a flashlight, and hopefully extra batteries, to shine a little more light into the dark corners of this world in the short time we are allotted here.
The next installment will be an overview of Bobby Fischer's life, games and affect on the chess world.
What Will Become of Bobby Fischer? (No.7)
Late in the 1940's Bobby Fischer discovered chess and soon chess would never be the same. He is a complex man with a huge following, which for the most part, he has no regard for. His star burned brightly and like other celestial bodies, such as his idol Paul Morphy, they too often burn out quickly. There isn't a terrific amount of information that is available about what Bobby Fischer is doing these days, but for those of you who have the stomach to deal with Bobby Fischer, the Rebel King, uncut, unadulterated and definitely uncouth here's a link for you Fischer's web page here May the force be with you.
He came into our world and shared his gift with us for a short time. For that we can be eternally grateful. The chess that he played, the intensity that he brought to the chessboard and the way that he dominated the competition over a short time period can be ours to study and treasure.
That he came to Michigan to play in a small (for him) tournament should be a moment for Michigan chessplayers to treasure always. For Dr. Paul Poschel a draw against the great one is, no doubt, a jewel of a lifetime that could never be forgotten. Ron Finegold, the father of Michigan chess master, Mark Finegold as well as Ben Finegold, only the best chessplayer in the history of Michigan chess, surely has a lifetime rich with chess memories. But, anyone who witnessed his acceptance speech into the Michigan chess Hall of Fame (joining Dr. Poschel) would find it difficult to believe the memory of the game he played against Fischer, had faded, though over 39 years had passed since that time. In that acceptance speech he acknowledged that he had lost a long, tough struggle to Fischer that July 4th weekend of 1963, but quipped "Fischer did have the white pieces, though!"
That Fischer has become what he is today shouldn't keep us from enjoying what he has given to the world -- the great chess, the initial reformation of the World Championship cycle, Fischer Random chess and of course the Fischer clock. May the world enjoy the gifts he has left us and may he find peace with himself, with the world and with God.